-Is this not our ultimate aspiration, to please the Lord? To be always learning and doing what He wants me to do? This thus becomes (or should) our full-time occupation, our magnificent obsession (Romans 14.18; 2Corinthians 5.9; Galatians 1.10; Colossians 1.10; 1Thessalonians 2.4, 4.1; Hebrews 13.21; 1John 3.22). Doing that which brings Him pleasure, that which He finds sweet, delightful, pleasant, smooth and straight. There are both things which to Him are abominable, which He hates, a nasty foul stench in His nostrils, and then there are things which to Him are a fragrant, soothing aroma. They bring Him great pleasure. In this, Jesus was our Shining Example (Ephesians 5.2) - Who always did (and does) the things which are pleasing to the Father (cf John 8.29).
-And to that point, we’re not talking about some kind of an intermittent, once a week or once-per year ritual or pilgrimmage. No little-dab’ll-do-ya. No - pursuing and living into the things which please our heavenly Father can and should be an every day thing. I wake up in the morning and my thoughts turn to Him. Words and a heart of praise, gratitude, submission, dependence. My heart (re)turns to Him repeatedly throughout the day, talking to Him, inquiring of and listening to Him, constantly, I am yearning for Him and mindful of what He wants, aware of His presence, His guidance, His power, until I lay myself down to sleep with a deep abiding sense of His goodness and faithfulness and nearness in my life.
-Sadly, I must confess that my personal experience does not mirror this in a terribly consistent way. I find that my heart and mind are prone to wander, my hours and days frittered away in the pursuit of perfecting the unnecessary, too much of my life lived as a practical atheist - God out of sight and out of mind, me-myself-and-I living as if He doesn’t really exist, in no way living and moving and having my being in Him. I can (and do) go long hours without saying a word to Him, He Who lives in me and is always by my side. Maybe I toss up a little prayer for favor. I can go days on end without spending any real time with Him, without seeking His face. I can go months and even years without ever telling another soul about Him, the fate of the lost souls around me and the sad state of my own heart towards Him barely affecting my slumber. Oh, I believe. I have my fire insurance. I show up to a church service pretty much every Sunday. I tithe. But apart from some head knowledge and not sleeping in on Sundays, how different is my life from the happy pagan living next door to me, really? What of this constantly trying to learn and showing what is pleasing to the Lord? How does my life fit into that?
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